China will spend less on security for the 2008 Olympic Games
than other previous host countries but is confident of delivering a
secure Games, an official said Wednesday.
"Our cost will be controlled below that of other host countries,
while also ensuring that the security work proceeds smoothly," Liu
Shaowu, head of the security department of the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), told a press
conference.
Greece was forced to spend a record US$1.5 billion on security
for the 2004 Games in Athens in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks on the United States.
Liu said relying on domestic providers for surveillance systems
and other necessary equipment had helped keep costs low, but China
has also drawn on the foreign expertise and experiences as to how
to ensure the safety of the 2008 Olympics.
"Last month we invited Peter Ryan from Sydney to discuss with us
about some particular security problems," he said. "We learnt
valuable experiences from them."
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According to Liu, Vassilios Constantinides, who headed security
for the Athens Games, had also been consulted.
Liu, also the deputy director of Beijing's Public Security
Bureau, said that researches and studies have been conducted on the
security at the Olympic venues and a series of plans and manuals
have been formulated since 2003.
"We have established a complete security network for the
Olympics," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2007)